Rowland resigns; court appoints new constable

Constable Jeffrey Rowland has been charged with tampering with a government document, a third-degree felony.

Constable Jeffrey Rowland has been charged with tampering with a government document, a third-degree felony.

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Constable Jeffrey Rowland has been charged with tampering with a government document, a third-degree felony.

Constable Jeffrey Rowland has been charged with tampering with a government document, a third-degree felony.

Rowland resigns; court appoints new constable

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Larry Woodruff is in, and Jeffrey Rowland is out as Midland County constable for Precinct 3.

The Commissioners’ Court on Monday acknowledged Rowland’s resignation and then appointed Woodruff, a Midland Police Department veteran, as the temporary constable. Commissioners are expected to meet Thursday to make the selection more permanent.

The series of moves closes the book on Rowland, who was arrested twice in the last two months and submitted his resignation on Friday.

More importantly for Precinct 3 and county officials, the hiring of Woodruff allows for the healing to begin. Woodruff is a native Midlander, Lee High School graduate and 21-year veteran of MPD. He most recently has worked with the Community Relations unit.

“He is the perfect candidate to heal wounds,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Scott Ramsey said during the meeting before commissioners unanimously approved the selection.

“I’m here to stop the bleeding,” said Woodruff, who will be leaving MPD.

Johnson spoke during the meeting about rebuilding the Constable Office’s image that was needed inside his precinct -- whether it is on the job, at church, at the store or any place residents interact with Precinct 3 officials. Johnson, also a life-long Midlander, said he grew up with Woodruff. After the meeting he called the new constable a “people person” who has done a lot in the community.

“It is important that when we go out and serve the public that they trust us,” Johnson said. “I believe some of that trust has been eroded. We will have to work our tails off to rebuild it. … (Woodruff) is the perfect person to rebuild that image.”

Rowland was arrested in December on a felony charge of felony mischief and in January on a felony charge of tampering with a government record. He replaced Theodore Macklin, who resigned in September 2016 after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor offense of “official oppression.”

Woodruff said after the meeting that he wants to make sure the residents of Midland are being treated fairly.

“There are guys who have not been doing what they are supposed to have been doing, and that is serve the community,” Woodruff said. “That is my intention -- to do as I have been doing for 21 years and that is making sure the citizens are aware.”

Both Precinct 3 Commissioner Luis Sanchez and Johnson complimented Precinct 1 Constable David Criner for his recent work helping to fill gaps during the past couple of months. They called him a “true example of a public servant.”